Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Sidell.
Kathy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started in the restaurant business in 2004. I opened a 5000 sq foot restaurant called the Metropolitan Club which I operated for 10 years. It was a Modern Steakhouse with an awesome bar – The MET BAR. It was in Chestnut Hill, the neighborhood in which I grew up. My father, Jack Sidell, was a banker and had an insatiable appetite for the restaurant business. He financed many of the great chefs in the city back in the late 80’s. This restaurant space was the former space of one of his restaurants. My family has always been food-centric – my Mom was a fabulous entertainer and my sister owns Stephanie’s Restaurant Group. So, I grew up pretty much poised to do something in the food world.
After Chestnut hill opened we were approached to open in many locations, we chose to create a mall concept that was family friendly and affordable. A concept which centered around a burger bar theme. As we became known as THE MET BAR, we called those restaurants MET BAR & GRILL, one in Natick at the Natick Mall, the other in Dedham at Legacy Place. In 2010, we opened our flagship restaurant, Met Back Bay which sits on the corner of Newbury and Dartmouth – with two bars and a fabulous outdoor patio.
In 2016, we opened Saltie Girl, a 30 seat, modern seafood bar which boosts the largest tin fish collection in America. We serve a large assortment of super fresh seafood and fish any way you can imagine – raw, smoked, tinned, sautéed & fried. Our lobster roll and lobster & waffle are among our best sellers.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No road is smooth. By and large, we have been very lucky and have learned to be smart operators who quickly adjust to the mercurial nature of our economy and business. But in 2007-8, when the economy went south – at The Metropolitan Club, we had to make some very fast and vital changes. These are times that separate the boys from the men.
We very quickly ramped up our bar menu, cut menu pricing, offered nightly specials – it was when our 5 dollar burger night began – and we still run that special at the same price in Met Back Bay – 10 years later! We tightened our belt across the board and became better operators. We have yet to get back to the time pre-2008 when people were ordering 300 dollar bottles of wine without thinking.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a hospitality group that owns and operates 5 restaurants in and around Boston and have built a large local brand. My job has shifted and changed through the many years in the business. When we opened back in 2004, I was at my host stand most nights – happily greeting our guests as if they were coming into my home. I touched every guest, bused tables, made sure every french fry was crisp:)
As we have grown the company, my job has become more global – managing and motivating our executive team, growing the company, marketing the company, managing the brands, overseeing all menu items and changes. I no longer am at my host stand but I do love sitting at our bars and talking to our guests.
I am proud of many things. The brand, the longevity.
Mostly, I am proud of the people that work so tirelessly with me day in and day out and make the MET’s as special as they are. Many of whom have worked with me for 14 years. Surviving and thriving in this business over many years is quite an accomplishment. And yes, I am proud to run a successful business as a woman. At the very least I hope to inspire other women to take an entrepreneurial leap in their lives.
I am exceeding proud of our new concept, Saltie Girl, a modern seafood bar – where the food and the service surprises and delights every day.
I am as excited about going to work every day as I was when I started the business.
What were you like growing up?
Since I was very little, I was driven by food. I would travel miles for a fresh peach or a plump date. My maternal grandmother was an extraordinary baker. I would watch her create alchemy in the kitchen. It captivated me. I loved to cook and eat out at a very early age.
I was a second child and a pretty sassy kid. I had very strict parents. I had an older sister who I think I was brought to earth to entertain. She encouraged my Saltie side, for sure. She never would had dared disobey. She was very proper grown up. She laughed at most everything I did. She was and still is my best audience. So, I totally became the risk taker and rule breaker. I was exceedingly social, a people person from the start. Little known fact: I was a middle school cheerleader:)
Always loved Food & Film. Still do. I studied Film at Columbia University.
Contact Info:
- Address: 143 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116
- Website: Metrestaurantgroup.com, saltiegirl.com
- Phone: 8573504108
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